Police arrest man quoting Bible at same-sex party
A Pennsylvania man Tuesday was arrested while quoting the BIble at a same-sex celebration party.
A video posted to social media shows Damon Atkins standing across the street from a large crowd — including several children — decked in rainbow colors. Atkins, who was holding a sign featuring a religious quote, had an interaction with a bystanding police officer.
“Let them have their day,” the officer can be heard telling Atkins.
“This is public property,” Atkins argued.
After an inaudible exchange, the officer admits that “it is public property” and Atkins must “respect it”.
“Know who’s cheering for us? The people that are in hell,” Atkins responded. “So you do you, and I’m going to do me. This is public property.”
The officer turned back around. Atkins began reciting a verse from the Bible, whereupon the officer and his colleagues converged on Atkins.
“That’s it, you’re done,” the officer said as he placed handcuffs on Atkins. The crowd across the street cheered.
According to police, Atkins was arrested for his volume.
“He was not arrested for reading a bible verse,” a representative for Reading’s chief of police told the Daily Caller. “He was arrested for being disorderly.”
“His volume was at a level that he was heckling a preplanned and permitted event. He was given an area he was allowed to protest in, and was asked to keep volume at a level that was not problematic or that was inciting public inconvenience.”
Netizens expressed shock and commented that the incident would be more expected in other countries like the UK, where authorities crack down on thought crimes.
In January, a British army veteran was issued a citation for silently praying near an abortion center.
In December, a Birmingham woman was arrested for allegedly silently praying outside an abortion center after police received complaints from an onlooker.
The same month, UK Metropolitan Police summoned James Goddard to a meeting due to an offending social media post involving rainbow colors.
In July, a decorated British war veteran was arrested for “malicious communications” after police received a complaint about one of his social media posts. The offending post showed a swastika made of rainbow flags, a commentary on the state-sponsored intimidation of citizens to embrace same-sex attraction and gender disorientation.
Ironically, the post was validated when the veteran, referred to as “Darren” in a video of the incident, was ordered to pay £60 for a Community Awareness Course. Authorities told the man the purpose of the course was to “reeducate” him.
